Enneagram

Enneagram Test Results Type 1 Perfectionism 45% Type 2 Helpfulness 37% Type 3 Image Focus 61% Type 4 Hypersensitivity 54% Type 5 Detachment 58% Type 6 Anxiety 67% Type 7 Adventurousness 54% Type 8 Aggressiveness 37% Type 9 Calmness 70% Your main type is 9 Your variant is self pres

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

type score type behavior motivation
9 49 I must maintian a peaceful and easygoing environment to be happy.
6 47 I must be secure and safe to be happy.
3 43 I must be impressive and attractive to be happy.
5 41 I must be knowledgable and independent to be happy.
4 38 I must be true to my emotions to be happy.
7 38 I must be high and entertained to be happy.
1 32 I must be perfect and good to be happy.
2 26 I must be helpful and caring to be happy.
8 26 I must be strong and in control to be happy.

My Shanghai Visitation 2010

Day 1, 24 march - Arrival

It is unusual that I get to sleep in on the day of my flight, have some time to complete a half-done task of packing, and yet catch my flight while the sky is still lighted. My flight was scheduled in the middle of the day at 4.30pm; not a very popular time to take a flight. As I would later realise, it wasn’t such a good idea to take the flight to Shanghai at this timing either.

Everyone had already boarded the plane and prepared to go, but the flight was grounded by a sudden heavy downpour. I saw the raindrops like a curtain outside, as the China Eastern airplane moved round in circles along the runway, waiting for the rain to tone down before it could take off. This was like a flight delay but worse; being stuck to the economy class seat while waiting it out.

By the time the flight landed in Shanghai Pudong airport, it was already 10.20pm - no clock adjustments needed. As I was forewarned, it would take almost 2 hours to get from the airport to Vicky Luo's place. By then it would not be a nice time to arrive at their place; i would expect to enter a darkened house, her parents sleeping.

Upon claiming my baggage, I made an expensive phone call to Vicky using my Singaporean line, charged at international call rates. She advised me to take the airport bus, which would be only a tenth of the cost than if I took a taxi instead. However, the ride would be longer, and the terminal is still a considerable distance away from her house.
I chose the bus. It’s already so late anyways; being a little later won’t make much difference.

That bus i caught happened to be the last bus. Lucky me. The ride was a squeeze; more people came up, and all seats taken. I thought I could have a seat to place my bulky luggage... it ended up in between the seats' leg space so that someone else could sit beside me - at the cost of much discomfort for both of us. Among the passengers, they were talking loudly in Shanghainese dialect - sounding rather harsh and rapidly spoken, not much to my liking. When all the airport passengers had been taken on the bus, the bus attendant proceeded to collect bus fares; a clipboard in hand displaying stacks of differently priced tickets like mini post-its, tearing them out for each commuter as she collected the fares one by one. My ticket was to the terminal, the furthest and most expensive destination, costing me 24 Yuan.

I spent the ride looking outside the window and observing the landscape passed by - whatever of it that can be seen in the dark of night. For half an hour, the drive on the expressway took me by nothing but 4-lane roads, bridges, and an extensive network of overlapping highways. There were massive sky bridges that were at least 6 storeys high, to allow another 2 layers of curvy highway to cut under it. The scene was like an extreme race course. That was all i could see, illuminated by the widely-spaced dim orange streetlights. There was nothing but plain land and rivers on both sides of the roads; save for occasional landed houses sighted a distance off in the background.

Going onto a highway, my view was completely blocked by a very long row of partitions along the edges of the highway - and after several minutes of seeing what seemed like a blank green screen outside the window, the partition stopped, and we emerged in the middle of tall buildings and high-rise residences.

Indeed, the buildings were all tall and closely clustered, towering over both sides of the highway, but little did i consider the scene to be a vibrant city. I saw seemingly unpleasant apartments, like a building designed to cramp together as many rooms as possible to make solution for a big squeeze; much like the old residences in the New York City suburb. I saw old shophouses alongside with towering flats just beside them. Buildings were of all different shapes, sizes, age, design and colour, unevenly spaced, facing different directions, all adding on to one disorderly pattern. It could be inferred that Shanghai has been developing all too fast for its urban development authorities to catch up with and provide some proper landscape planning.

It was no doubt a long ride, but my mind was too occupied by thoughts to let me notice. I watched new passengers board and more passengers alight as we came to each stop. Soon as the clusters of skyscrapers vanished from the scenery and we entered the suburbs, the bus turned in and came to a stop at a small dark car park. There was construction going on at the side, and not even a place for a bus to park. Though it looked nothing like one, it was obvious enough that this was indeed the terminal - There was just me and 2 other passengers left on the bus, and the driver beckoned us to alight.

I gathered my belongings and looked outside at the uninviting surroundings and the slight drizzle; I was suddenly surged with uncertainty about how I would make the second part of the journey from here. In a way, I felt lost. As i came down the bus, i spotted someone standing in the rain, shielded by a purple umbrella. The umbrella lifted up to reveal a familiar face. . . It was Vicky.

The Luo Residence

The remaining travel to Vicky’s place was unexpectedly provided for – her dad had generously come with the car to pick me up from the terminal, even at that unearthly hour. Not knowing how Shanghainese address their elders, I decided to use Singaporean style; calling him shu shu, or uncle. And so it stayed that way.
I climbed into the Volkswagen’s cushioned seats and closed the door, feeling warm and cosy, away from the rain and cold outside.

I had imagined that I would have so much to talk about with Vicky, but it turned out we were both rather lost for words; other than intermittent short topics each followed by moments of awkward silence. To ease off the awkwardness, i would spend the moments of silence observing the suburb we drove through, drenched in an eerie gloom. Vicky passed me a can of what was supposedly congee... canned congee. But it was sweet and lumpy in texture; somewhat like Cheng Tng instead. I slowly sipped at the slimy gooey sauce and munched on the lumps of rice – I wasn’t really enjoying it, but I was hungry, so anything goes.

It didn’t take us long to reach their home. And what I saw of their house was a major shock to me. In this case it wasn’t the best for last – what I saw first were the most shocking. Entering the residence compound, there were several blocks of low rise flats around, with more down the road. Uncle parked the car and then helped with my luggage, bringing it up to a rusty metal gate with flaking-off green paint, like those of old abandoned shophouses.

“This is your house?” I asked Vicky rhetorically, still refusing to come to terms with it. The answer came as soon as I asked.
Uncle put the key to the gate and cranked it open, and all I saw ahead were shadowy outlines of motorbikes and scooters parked in the darkness of the small dusty basement, in which the lights would only go on motion-activated. When it did, and knowing that the house was all the way up on the 6th floor, the first thing I looked for was the lift. But nothing looked anything like a lift.
“There is no lift?” I asked.
“What lift? This is just a low-rise building!” Vicky replied sharply.
The only way up was through a narrow staircase, with occasional boxes left along the sides by the residents. I counted the storeys by counting how many times I would have to walk almost into pitch darkness before the lights would activate. Had I not done that, it would have seemed I climbed nine storeys before I reached the sixth.

The door of the house opened to a varnished wooden floor; and the dining table was straight ahead. The living room and kitchen were to the left and right respectively. The chairs and tables in the living room and dining area were all antique carved wood. Uncle welcomed me in with cottoned slippers to keep my feet warm. The slippers made much noise for each step treading on the flooring, which was hollow underneath judging from the sound of it. Even in the house, the air was chilly, such that one would still have to be fully covered up when indoors.

Moments later, Vicky’s mom emerged from the master bedroom to welcome me. Seeing her partially dazed expression, she must have fallen asleep during the long wait for my late arrival – she calmly denied so when asked.
From the first day, I was treated with great hospitality. The very first gesture was of course fetching me from the terminal. They stayed up really late just to welcome me, briefly showed me around the house and the room where I would be staying in - It was originally Vicky’s room, which Auntie ordered her to give up to me. The room was all tidied up and table space cleared, a brand new bed sheet and blanket never used before was spread on the excessively spacious queen size bed; add on a thick furry bed cover. They were constantly concerned over whether I was cold – thankfully I have a good tolerance for cold.
As is a deeply rooted culture of Chinese hosts, they asked me if I was hungry – indeed I was, but too shy to say yes. Uncle further insisted, but I opted to eat the canned porridge I had half eaten in the car.
“The porridge is not nice; don’t eat it. Wait a while, I’ll cook you some tang yuan.” He responded. And so there he was, cooking a big bowl of tang yuan – rice flour balls filled with black sesame and peanut sauce – for me and Vicky for supper at 2am. The delicious, steaming tang yuan warmed my body, but his gesture warmed my heart.

Earlier during the car ride, Uncle kept silent most of the time, occasionally exchanging a few words with Vicky in shanghainese. It was hard to even make a first impression of him like that. I also had only known Auntie for a brief moment on the first day. But right then I already knew they were really warm-hearted people.

Wedding Pavillion experience

11 november 2009

it has come to a point where everything has become more or less routine. all that has happened has happened before. or anything new, seems rather small. now, i would try to talk about my spiritual life instead. during the past few weeks, God has come to be especially real to me. not because many wondrous things have happened, or that i can really feel God's blessings. it has instead been a low time. i cant see God's work bearing fruit yet, but i certainly can feel God working now. i cant say exactly what caused the difference. i could maybe say, blind faith.

One rather changing event was on last wednesday, when i had to do a learning opportunity that i had signed up for. this time it was held at the wedding pavillion, learning about the wedding packages that disney can provide. that day i saw the timing wrongly, and i turned up at 9am instead of 10am when it starts. The wedding pavillion is a really beautiful place, a tiny island close offshore, very serene surroundings, and with the cinderella castle far in the background across the waters. To the wishful couples, it is a romantic place to get married and have their wedding photoshoots. But for me, the beautiful and quiet environment was a good setting for me to use the extra 1 hour i had to spend time with God. It was as if God had planned that one-on-one session with me. after talking to God about all the problems and cares that were on my mind and letting God speak back to me, I got many things sorted out, truths revealed, perspectives changed and hopes lifted during that experience. I have come to call it 'the wedding pavillion experience'.

Indeed as it is said, it is during low times that you would turn to God more, learn to depend on and trust in Him. when things arent going well and you face disappointment after another, and nothing good is happening. i could have gone crazy or slipped into depression or just pass each day feeling hopeless, if i did not have God. i really had to take time everyday to reflect and talk to God, letting out all the negative emotions towards someone who is always there (if you believe); who knows exactly how i feel and what im going through, perhaps even more than i do; and who cares for me and will make sure that i am taken care of.
but when things are going all well, it is easy to forget about God. it is even more tragic if we were to think that it was all done on our effort and ability, not needing God at all. This low time could very well be a blessing to my spiritual life.
Now if God were to lift me up, pour out blessings on me and give a great upward turn on my circumstances, i would not become conceited, but look back on these low times, and remember who has supported me then, and brought me out of it.

What i need now is faith. I trust that God has a plan for me, that has me having much better circumstances than now. it is not God's will for me to lead a deprived life. all that im going through now is merely a stepping stone, or a chapter in the journey. i know for sure that i would be blessed by this Disney program experience that i feel God has put me in. It is nearly blind faith. God never told me that things would get better, but i trust that it would, based on how i know Him. at the same time i am not being conceited and think that i dont have to do anything, cause i am doing what i can on my part, given my circumstances. i know, such faith may seem stupid while i am going through this time and things still remain lousy as ever. but it has the very relieveing effect of dispelling worry, anxiety and hopelessness.
i just recently listened to the sermon on the SJC website called "how long, O lord." and yes, that has been one question that i have always asked, when i put my faith in God's timing and plans. How long, O Lord, must i wait till things get better? Of course, God never answers me on how long more i must wait. but when the time comes, i will know, with a surprise. such anticipation could actually be exciting.

My faith isnt strong; i probably would not have the courage to say all these if i did not logically see the hope of my circumstances taking a turn for the better. It is still something i have to work on, but i would say, it was something i hardly had before. Brothers and sisters in Christ, i hope that you could experience God greatly too, or share your experiences with me, and meanwhile keeping me in prayer.

Mission Siem Reap - Day 3

First thing of the day is breakfast as usual, at 7. we waited for each other for about 20 mins before we started eating. then had devotions, with lots of discussion still, lasting until 9.
having a bit of time, having a bit of free time before the morning session, the guys got together for some male bonding through our newly invented game - tau pok poker! turns out to be a great thrill.

then we left for the orphanage. upon reaching there, the small kids recognised us from afar, came to greet us joyfully and came to us as we entered the compound. we entered the chapel and had some time to play with them. they were full of energy

The orphanage kids are really open and friendly, but very well disciplined. There is a strong culture of discipline yet with love. The older ones take care of younger ones, and younger ones respect their elders. They are all like one big family; harmonious, open and caring for to each other. it is a really powerful culture that if carried on, would nurture these kids into great loving people who would multiply the works of this orphanage many times over.

we had a shorter time of worship, with a quick repeat of 2 songs, and one new song 'oil in my lamp'. for games, played musical chairs. was easy to explain, and to make things easier, they played it before. so it ran quite smoothly. during the gameplay, we could see the culture of love and caring for the younger ones among the kids - when the slightly older ones held the small ones, helped them onto the chairs when the music stopped, and even gave up their seats to them.
the next game was supposed to be such that when the music plays, they would dance and follow my actions, and stop when the music stops. they followed my actions for a while, but soon began to do their own actions and ignored mine. so it became simply freestyle dancing time, and going with the music. everyone got into the mood, and danced around wildly. it wasnt much of a game, but more importantly we had fun.

next it was teaching english. same style as before, Kristen drew out the picture and Sarah wrote out the words. theme was shapes and musical instruments. the kids were spontaneous, but kinda died down after a while (lost interest) cause it was quite repetitive.

then we did fixing of jigsaw puzzles forming a heart-shape picture consisitng of bits of many pictures. we preapred 4 sets of them, so we split them into 4 groups. the kids were not too familiar with doing jigsaw puzzles, so most of it was being fixed by us.
the session came to an end with their lunch break again. they all assembled outside in some classroom/canteen area. we did a mini feeding session giving cookies to them. then we left the orphanage without any free play time.

lunch at Angkor Famous again, but ordered different dishes. the owner was nice to us since we patronised before. she gave us free durians after our meal, and came to chat with us. of course she had a motive. cause she also ran a fruit stall in adition to the restaurant. and she asked us to buy some fruits after that. but we didnt.

going back to guest house but no time for rest, we left for Marie's house via tuk tuk ride. a distance out of town, through narrow paths, into the village. it was a bungalow nicely built and furnished, surrounded by other less fanciful houses and the poor village houses. Marie has been using her home for ministry to the village kids in the area, befriending them and perhaps conducting activities with them. we went there to help out in her work with the village kids.

first up was meeting a group of 8 village boys (only 3 were well built) and headed to a nearby open field to play soccer. we mixed the teams, having Acacians and cambodians on both sides. excess acacians stood at the side to watch. As we played, i felt really hot and dehydrated and tired after just a while. i thought it was just me, but later i realised even the spectators were suffering and we all got sunburnt. plus we all didnt bring water and were like dying in the open heat. the score came to 5-0, and the game didnt continue after we decided to take a half-time. we went back to marie's house.

we fell exhausted on the garden pavillion and bought water, which we downed like thirsty camels. the house was open to us to go in and use the toilet. the toilet was tiny and it stinked bad. plus when i used the sink, suddenly the whole thing fell off and broke. i told Marie about it and she said she knew it was faulty all along... i sat on the sofa and played with the 2 cute cats in the house while there was a dog and bone game going on in the space outside.
then we gathered all the kids (now all small ones except for 2 and the interpreter) and we played momentum in some area just outiside the bungalow compound. there was a shack with people preparing stuff nearby, and thick grass or piles of debris surrounding the space. so we were made to squeeze in the space and run around in it. it was rather small, but that meant much faster action and less running distance. the game was very good at having fun and interacting with them. everyone had lots of fun without hardly any verbal communications required, and it went on for a long time until everyone was exhausted.

by 6, we prepared to leave. waited for the tuk tuks to come and brought us back. we had some time to wash up, and then we had a special dinner of pizza (delivery) with soft drinks, eaten in the guest house living room. most of us had to sit around on the floor, and watched many fat lizards scurrying on the ceiling, trying to attack a moth.

to round it all off, we had a debrief on the day's activities. we all felt the village ministry was somewhat empty, not much was done. discussed till about 9, then slack around in the room. Tee introduced us to a card game which can be played by everyone together, but making use of 2 decks. played several rounds lasting till about 11. maybe some had programs meeting after that, but as for me, i went to sleep.

Mission Siem Reap - Day 2

Breakfast time was scheduled at 7am. so we had to wake up at 6.30. by 6.30, the sky is already starting to light up. i got up first, used washed up and went out to the meeting area for breakfast. gathered around in a sleepy atmosphere. once breakfast is ready, we helped ourself at own timing (not waiting for the rest to come). breakfast was just bread (baguette) with spreads, and milo from both packets and powder.

at 8am, we started the devotions session, using just the material found in the missions booklet. also did a bit of worship (2 songs) and then a round of sharing, which takes the main bulk of the devotions time. (topic: start, stop, continue.) as the scribe, i had to take down points shared.
9.30, we briefed through the programs for the day (which only been planned the night before)

By 10.30 we left the guest house for the orphanage. Tee led the way, travelling along the main road of the urban area where lush hotels and old, cheaply built shop houses stand side by side. roads were poorly maintained, with cracks and holes, very dusty and polluted too.

going past the urban area and onto a dirt road, the poverty was becoming more evident as people set up shaggy roadside stalls selling petrol or other misc goods. vehicles travelling along the dirt roads would stir up a cloud of dust all around. the road was uneven with bumps and craters which turned into puddles following rain, and junk strewn around. this is especially on the side of the road, where pits/trenches are there intendedly to prevent flooding, but instead turned into filthy cesspools with black water, rubbish all thrown inside, weeds growing in it and a few wild chickens scouring the rubbish for food.

there were many kinds of weird smells everywhere.

when we reached the orhpanage, the kids were gathered in the hall, with tiled floor and kiddy paintings of biblical stuff all over the walls. the older kids had all gone to school, leaving only the really young ones not more than 10 yrs old there. they all clumped together at a corner first, and we had to take a while to warm up to them. communication was a major barrier. one of the best things that helped us open up to each other was the cameras. we took pictures of the kids or with the kids and showed it to them, much to their amusement. soon the kids became all enthu about taking pictures and even took the camera to snap randomly. some of us then started playing games with the kids.

at 11.30 we started the program with songs (God loves you, Jesus loves me, There is none like you), the kids knew 'Jesus loves me' and sang it loud in english with actions.

for games we played samson, lion and delilah. they didnt know, and it was very hard to explain to them. had to go through Seyla the translator, where some points probably got distorted. it got everyone confused and unsure, such that during the game, the Samson group catched and Delilah ran.
we only played 2 rounds before the kids had to go off for their lunch time and maybe school.

we proceeded to Angkor Famous restaurant for lunch, ordered local dishes to be shared among the table, with rice. we reached back at millenium at 2pm, and had an hour break. followed by a breifing and discussion for the afternoon orphanage session, and then left for the orphanage again when we were ready.

the afternoon session had more kids and slightly older, cause they came back from school. because we didnt have time to get any more lyrics written out on mahjong paper, we just had to reuse the songs we did earlier. but this time, we took some time to explain the lyrics to the kids, and Seyla translated for us.

the games played were duck duck goose. it was easy to explain this time, easy to understand and gameplay is simple. after just a little demo, the kids got into action. they got the hang of it soon after, ran around really energetically and really enjoyed it.
then we played the 'moving along chairs' game (dunno whats the name). this one was hard to explain and Seyla got confused, cause cant break down the instructions. once again we demoed for them a few rounds. then the kids tried. and soon they got the hang of it.

therefore we learn that demonstration is the best way to teach the kids, and then let them try it out. we may not even need to say a single word.

Next, it was english teaching session. Kaimin was arrowed to teach, and he had to do it quite impromptu-ly. we had 2 small whiteboards; for one Kristen drew out an animal or fruit, and KM wrote out the word. the kids shouted out the answer whenever they knew, and getting participation was quite easy. but it was rather messy and were unsure about how much the kids actually learnt after the session.

then it was the drawing session, where the kids were given paper and colouring material, and asked to draw out the animal or fruit we asked for. most of the young ones were lost and didnt know what to do, just did nothing, waited for us to teach them or some copied from the older ones who could draw. most of the drawing ended up being done by us. but it was a powerful conencting tool where we could mingle and interact with them closely.
Skaly, a 14 year old boy who looked much younger, was one of the best artists among all of them, and he gave me his art piece.

the program for the day supposed ended after this, but we stayed to play with the kids for some time more. we played in our own small groups, while some kids played among themselves like 2 small boys wrestling.
the kids were really hyperactive this time. Kaimin got crowded around by kids who clung to him and gave him their drawings. Michelle got tau-pokked by a bunch of hyper kids.

upon leaving the orphanage, it was time for us to hunt for a good dinner spot. we walked around in circles surveying the reastaurants in the area, and settled for a nice higher class restaurant on the 2nd storey. price was not much higher than other lousier ambience places.

returned to the guest house at 8. had debrief and discussion in kristen's room, and the rest of the time was free. save for those involved in planning the next day program. lasted till almost midnight.

Mission Siem Reap - day 1

flight time was scheduled at 2.35. meeting time was set at 12.30. but we were kiasu and went early. left the house by 11.30.

at the airport, we met the Phuket team just before they checked in and set off. got to talk a while, give them our blessings and send them off.

soon the rest of the team came. after checking in our luggage, went for a quick lunch within 15 mins and had to rush off without finishing our food (sth i hate) and then waited at the gate for another 10mins =.='

we boarded the plane by 2.15 and by 2.35 it was clear to take off.
Away we go to Siem Reap...

arrived there at 3.45 local time (1 hour earlier than SG) the airport there looks like some beach resort. then we packed all our luggage onto the back of a van which brought us to the Millenium guest house - the place we stayed for the mission trip.

arrived there at about 5pm. the place was very dusty, but still we had to remove footwear inside. we decided on our rooming, and were assigned our rooms. girls on 2nd floor, guys on ground floor. [Dora makes a big fuss cause she was made to room with her dad]

the rooms were not so good, but not bad. had a fan and aircon, hot water, proper beds and blankets. but all very simple. my room had a very bad view - just outside the window is a stranger's shack with tools hanging from the walls. the window was kept closed for the whole trip.
when i first used the toilet, by first impressions, it failed. i turned on the tap, and as the water flowed down the sink, suddenly 2 cockroaches came running out of it! one stayed in the sink and the other leaped out onto the floor.

everywhere, every place in Siem reap, you can see spirit houses. along the street, outside houses and shops. even in the millenium guest house, there were at least 2 spirit houses and 2 altars. such is the idolatry of Siem Reap.

6pm, left the guest house for dinner. at this restaurant with fairly good ambience. we tried many local foods like Khmer soup and curry, Lab, Lok lak. good value for money.
along the way, can see alot of nice posh hotels and restaurants, along with old cheaply built shops and houses just side by side. foreigners are found in the posh areas, and the locals in the rest.
we did some grocery shopping at a minimart on the way - buy water and breakfast for tmr.

8pm, gathered at the meeting area of the guest house for a talk by Fhonkie, to share more about his experiences in Siem Reap, the situation here, stories. We were warned of the high level of spiritual warfare here, affecting our emotions and also spiritual attacks on past missionaries. got us scared and praying. [but there was none for the whole trip]
it was also during this meeting that we finally got our draft of places we can go to for ministry, and our time table. i think we are the only group that didnt know before hand.

when we returned to our rooms and proceeded to wash up for the day, at 9.10, there was suddenly a blackout throughout the guest house! just at this time, ppl were bathing halfway in every room, and started making alot of noise. as for me, i was just about to take off my clothes in the toilet when it happened. nice timing. it was pitch dark in the toilet and a small bit of light in the room. power was restored after about 5mins.

we went to sleep early; no social activities this night.

Mission Melaka 08 (Events)

Trip events


7 dec

- set off and arrival

the scheduled time for departure was 6pm that sunday. there was still DG, E3 and jym as normal, but due to a birthday lunch earlier that day, only came halfway during jym. after jym, we quickly gathered our stuff, got ready, bought some last minute stuff from esso and by 6 set off to Queens Street in separate vehicles. there were volunteers to drive some in their cars, and for me it was uncle khairon's van with a bunch of others.


reached queens street after not long a ride, then transferred to the coach that would take us all the way to malacca. it was big and spacious, more than any coach i ever taken. each seat was so wide that 2 ppl can squeeze in, and lots of leg space, so i could lean back a lot without cramping the one behind. to make up for the extra space, the seats on the left were singles.

first half of the trip, we were all rather quiet. after the immigrations, the bus lights were turned off so it was all dark and we were forced to sleep. later on, some restless ones woke up and went to other ppl's seats to talk. soon others joined in and it grew into a commotion, so then we all woke up. there was no toilet stop at all until we reached the hotel. so for some like Kenneth, they had to hold their bladders and suffer for the rest of the trip.

by the time we reached hollitel, it was already 10+. we had no dinner but brought food which we had on the coach. still, we went to the coffeeshop just next door for ramlee burger supper. took really long to come. but we waited for each other before going back to sleep.

8 dec

- treasure quest rehearsal

waking time 7am, had devotions, then to peach restaurant for breakfast and waited for the bus to arrive. was kinda disappointed to find out that the bus was a 1960s bas sekolah, which was the bus we used for whatever transportations for the rest of the days.


the bus took us to the mini malaysia site, where the treasure quest is held. gathering at the amiptheatre, we ran through the emcee activities with the BP emcees, then kester gave us a briefing on all that would happen for treasure quest - the team building games, clues to the pictures, the puzzles, the overall gameplay. there was some kind of malaysia tourism promoting advertisement program going on at the amitheatre so we had to leave after that. it was raining heavily, and we were worried about what to do if the weather would be like that tomorrow.

- MYFC debrief

according to the schedule, it was free time. but instead we went to the MYFC apartment for a debrief, especially for contingency planning. then a large group set out to buy the goodies for the goodie bags and prizes, while the remaining stayed to discuss the treasure quest. when they returned with loads of goodies, we started packing the goodie bags and prizes along the narrow walkway to the toilet. it was very squeezy and nobody could cross over to go to the toilet. ended up a mess, and ran out of goodies for the goodie bags. but there was still enough for all the kids though.

before we left, MYFC split us into groups as facils and gave us the list of the children in our group. they also provided each group with a card game to play with the kids. there was a variety of games, randomly distributed among the groups. sleeping queen was the most popular and everyone hoping to get it, but only 3 were given out. my group got Chomp.

we were free until dinnertime (which wasnt much time.) we played blackjack and decisive dai di, then had dinner at porridge place, had some debrief later at night in 304. we then split into our own groups to discuss, pray, and practice our game. my group consisted me, joycelyn and phoebe lim, with 6 kids in the group; all girls from CIJ. so we played chomp until lights out time - my own version of chomp, which was continued to be played by the rest of the groups after that, and the original version never played! (i find my version much more fun anyway)

9 dec

- treasure quest day 1

today we had to get up real early for devotions, then had a quick breakfast before going to meet the first batch of children at pahlawan macs. there were some children there already, inclduing Audrey from my group. we sat at the outdoor tables and tried to talk to her but was quite quiet. a while later, Florence came, and then we started to play chomp. another 2 came later. for that day my group only had 4 girls who came. and i had an unexpected experience of malaysian kids - they seemed so mature for their age of 11, and spoke good english...

boarded the bus and made way to mini msia. they all sat together so was hard to build bonds on the bus. over there, after clearing the 'check-in' and assembling at the ampitheatre, the emcees from BP church did their warm ups and games, which i found rather stupid and could see the kids didnt really enjoy it, even if they made alot of noise.

then when its time for race, we solved the starting location puzzle and started at Negri Sembilan. first few stations was rather messy, unfamiliar with the handling of it, and the kids were not warmed up too. later on the kids got on the momentum and became more enthu, team dynamics also got into place. was nice to see. but of course there was some technical problems too.

dint know how to really conduct some of the station games so a few screw ups or delay. i was quite strict on the games, just until it becomes boring. and i read out the questions part to them after they finished finding their pictures, when i should have given it all to them at the start.. wasted alot of time. also at the 3rd last station from the left, thought we had to cross over to the other side, but later realised there was also sabah and sarawak further down left. the kids got angry for that...

in the end, we ended up second last place. and i bought them ice cream as a consolation prize. of course before they leave, we have to give out the chistmas party invitation forms. then we together headed back to macs.

rest for the day, apart from a debrief in the afternoon and another at night to prepare us for the next day and next batch of kids. dinner at the porridge place. rest of the time was in the room playing blackjack and poker, betting on pumpings. (Junting owed 300 push ups. ahha)

10 dec

- treasure quest day 2

like the previous day, there was devotions, breakfast, then to pahlawan macs. meet the kids and play chomp. when i saw met the new batch of kids, i knew it was gonna be much harder. they were all chinese speaking, though they could understand english. all except 1 or 2 out of 7 were very quiet and unenthu. plus becasue of the bigger number of children, had to split into more groups, so it was left with me and small phoebe as facils. i was prepared for a tough and unfun time.

at mini msia, had the warm up things again. was a bit different and better, but still stupid. as for the treasure quest, the kids were rather cooperative, and became more enthu after a few stations. they were quite excited in finding their pictures and answers, though they didnt talk much. not so much uncertainty and screw up like the first day, but still came in one of the last groups too.

routine for the rest of the day was same as previous day, except we didnt have so much time to play cards, somehow.

11 dec

- treasure quest day 3

the batch of kids was slightly lesser than day 2, but more than day 1. we were split back into our day 1 groups with 3 facils per group. our group this time consisted of 4 8 yr old girls and 4 12 yr old boys, who were friends and classmates of each other, and one of the boys and girls were siblings. so team dynamics was there from the start, and they most of them were very enthu, open and friendly. i was told that this day 3 batch would be chinese-speaking, but these 8 kids were all english-speaking instead, and cant even speak chinese.

activity began with the emcee thing again, and this time it was worse than ever. the 3-part malaysian states cheer was already so lame and inappropriate and the emcees were told about it, but yet this time round they dragged it even longer, and we were all pissed off and couldnt wait to stop.
then for the treasure quest, things went on much more smoothly this time, being more familiar with the gameplay and also being abit more lenient. the kids were also very excited and would snatch the clues from me and each other. in the end we finished at around the middle positions. good enough.

after returning, we were free for lunch and were given lunch allowance to eat wherever we wanted. so we ate at macs, with slightly different meals offered and only slightly cheaper. some of the kids also had macs with their parents, and would wave at us when the chances came.
we ate outdoors where stray cats loitered. i threw a fry at one, and it did not eat it.
going back to the hotel, there was just one debrief, then skit rehearsals in 301. but more time was spent wasting time and playing a fool, which was unknowingly caught on camera. some of the NGs during the skit were rather hilarious.

12 dec


- christmas party rehearsal

this day was initially intended to be used to join the BP church ppl at the villages to help them in their tracking. but somehow the plans were cancelled, and so we went down to wesley methodist melaka instead for an actual site rehearsal. it was quite useful, cause the place was different and we needed to know how to adapt our spacings and placings. we split up into our different roles for the christmas party, for me was more skit rehearsals in a room, and when we were ready, we had a full run of the christmas party. that was something we didnt do before.
we stopped at a roadside hawker centre with cheap food for lunch. bought a plate of economical rice for RM3, for what could have cost $4 in singapore.

- bridge league

because of the cancelled program, we were left with a half day of uninterrupted free time. so a whole bunch of us guys gathered in my room to play bridge, and there birthed our own 'bridge league' system , where there was the A league get to play on the bed, and the B league which played on the mattresses below. every round, the 2 winners from B league would be promoted to A league, taking over the 2 losers from A league. so we were all fighting to get to A league and to stay there. this was even more so after the spare mattress once collapsed right onto the B league playing area during a game. so we were joking "haha, B league budget stadium collpase!"
we played a total of around 15 rounds that day, using the leagues system.


13 dec


- Wesley methodist church Melaka

it was time for the christmas party, the actual thing. so the first one was in the morning, held at wesley methodist church melaka, for the english speaking group of kids that we invited earlier after the treasure quests. (for me there was florence, allyna, celina, beatrice, and the 4 boys.) with the full rehearsal the previous day, we were able to settle in quickly and know what to do. soon the kids started coming. just a few in the first half hour, then at actual time many more arrived. the kids were given choice hand art and their name tag with different color, separating them into groups by age. i was assigned to take care of some 10 yr olds, who were all very unresponsive. we were to do our own group ice breaking while waiting for the program to start.

it first started with the emcees doing all sort of warm-up activities; like caterpillar, claps, cheering and fruit dance, which were much better than the BP church's. then i hosted the games: aye aye captain and disaster game. then there was singing of christmas songs, then the skit, then a short message by ivan chan, then we all got together to sing 'best present of all' and finally we were despatched back into our groups to tell the kids about the candy cane story and try to bring them to accept Christ. there was quite a good response; the kids in my group mostly ticked on the response form that they wanted to accept Christ. seed planted.
after it all, there was refreshments provided for everyone, and it was like our lunch.

- Melaka baptist church

we had a debrief and a while of rest before going to the next destination for the christmas party. the melaka baptist church was in a very ulu place, had to go past a maze of landed houses and a huge cemetery to get there. surroundings were all old houses, and the church looked old too. but step inside and we were all met with a surrpise - the interior was so beautifully furnished and decorated, with all the lights on the ceiling, the christmas trees, 3-tier stage, cool musical instruments and with aircon. it was a so much nicer place than WMCM.

this time we even had a good space behind the stage to hide before the skit. i was forced to have a mustache drawn on to give me the 'innkeepers look', but because of that i had to hide behind the stage for the whole time until the games and skit, unable to go out to meet the kids. was a long and boring wait behind. covered myself to go have dinner first.

because this christmas party was meant for the chinese speaking group of kids, the emceeing was done in chinese (kenneth tried his best, and siyu tried to help out.) then the games i spoke in english, siyu translated. and then for the skit, we were suddenly told to do it in chinese too, and i was stunned caused we never practiced for that before, and my chinese vocab is limited. but it turned out fine, better than i thought. didnt sound awkward or giving too different translations. and then came the very interesting incident where i called for ppl to come see the newborn baby as part of the skit; the kids thought it was for real and they all rushed forward to see the baby, which was of course fake. captured on camera, it was like a tsunami of kids.
then for the story sharing, i realised my group was actually better in english than chinese, so i need not share in chinese. and when they filled up their forms then i realised, they were mostly already christians =.='

- Devotions preparation

because i was scheduled to lead devotions with joycelyn the next day, we planned to meet to go through the material beforehand. dunno why, but we ended up doing it in ivan & hq's room, while they were away. and the passage turned out to be rather difficult and not straight forward.
it went fine for a while, then we hit tough spots and differing viewpoints. we were actually neither opposing nor agreeing with each other, but it was so 'interesting' that hsin qin joined in, and later also aik hong, which only made it worse by dragging on the 'discussion' even longer when our patience was already exhausted and i just wanted to settle it and go to sleep.
i experienced many different emotions during that whole incident, having spent almost 2 hours stuck in that room, missing out the fun outside and in the end hardly going anywhere in the discussion. but in the end we reached consensus and settled for it.

14 dec

- church service
for sunday service we were to have it at WMCM, instead of the usual Christ church Melaka for previous trips. the sanctuary was quite nice, with a glass panel in front showing a waterfall with a cross in the garden outside. it was an english service which wasnt very traditional, the equipment there were up to date, and the christmas songs they sang were kinda modified.

after the service there was refreshments outside, not much nice stuff. stayed there a while then i went to toilet. when i came out i went back to the refreshment area and i realised none of our ppl was there. i went around the whole church looking for them, and still nobody. then i thought they left alr but doubted so cause i was just gone a short while and they wont leave me behind. i waited outside in the field, then i saw joshua running back. then i realised they did leave without me... so he led the way and we ran along the road to the bus which was already a few hundred metres away, stopped along the side. was rather embarrassing.

- mahkota

we were free n easy for the rest of the day, so i joined a bunch of guys to spend the afternoon at mahkota shopping centre. had lunch at the food court upstairs, where the food was comparably expensive; then played some bowling (cheap, charged by hour), then to the arcade just for a few games which lasted shortly. lastly, we went to the supermarket and bought a load of cheap goods, like $1 socks, ice cream, and chewing gum. got 15 3-packs and 2 bottles of them.

- jonker street

went at night on foot, was a long and narrow street with alot of pasar malam stalls. alot of souvenirs there, but not interested. food there was surprisingly not cheap. a sausage waffle cost RM3.50. ate laksa at some restaurant along the way, bought drinks from stalls, 3 packets of poppers and some gula melaka at the end. the street was actually not very long, but it look so long because it was so crowded with human traffic. some inconsiderate groups form a whole line across and create a barrier. and gridlocks do occur.


-pahlawan

after returning, we had just a short time left before it was time for the movie to start. we had earlier bought tickets to watch Twilight at pahlawan cinema. but ppl came back, took so long to get ready, but we had to wait for each other. so we ended up 20mins late for the movie.
halfway through, there was technical difficulties such that the screen was blank and could only hear the sounds. everyone was jeering cause we were missing an exciting part at the baseball game. it took them about 5-10 mins to fix it, by then the part was over. no compensation was made. but after all, it is cheap malaysian cinema. the show was quite nice and interesting, with the effects and all, except for the lame romance plot. show ended past midnight.

dec 15

-departure & return

early morning, just after our last devotions and breakfast, we were on the bus and headed back home. the trip seems much shorter than the 8 days it was, and was sad to leave. it was a straight trip back with no stops except one for toilet break. journey took less than 5 hours. at the immigration, the scanners found my whole load of chewing gum cause i put it too high up in the bag. whole thing got confiscated.. what a waste. the bus dropped a group of us at KAP macs along the way, and the rest went to church. so it happened to be so convenient for me, and we ate first at macs before going back on our separate ways.